Recently issued Thai currency features new King

The much revered ruler of Thailand, his Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away peacefully at Siriraj Hospital in Bangko on the evening of October 13, 2016, after ruling for 70 years and 162 days.

His face appeared on Thai currency for 7 decades and now that his son King Maha Vajiralongkorn has ascended to the throne, Thailand is in the process of updating its currency to reflect the change.

The Central Bank of Thailand released the new bank notes for the 20 THB, 50 THB and 100 THB on April 6 to mark the 236th anniversary of the founding of the Chakri dynasty. The new notes feature King Vajiralongkorn 65, wearing his air force commander uniform on the front with a pair of previous kings from the Rama dynasty appearing on the back of each bill.

The two larger denominations, the 500 THB and 1000 THB notes will be issued on July 28, 2018, to commemorate the birthday of King Vajiralongkorn.

Many Thais wore black throughout the year of mourning that ended with His Majesty cremation last October. For many, King Bhumibol will always be a special person in their lives and they will most likely keep some of the notes with his images on as souvenirs.

“In future, we will only be printing the new banknotes,” Central Bank Governor Veerathai Santiprabhob told reporters in a recent interview. To keep things easy the new notes are the same size and colour as the previous notes, which will remain legal tender.

To further explore Thai money, past and present click this link to view a PDF prepared by the Bank of Thailand.